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 Courtesy of Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Taylor |
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Isaac Ruddell was born in Nottingham Township, Chester Co. Pennsylvania around 1730. He is presumed the fifth of eight children, to John & Mary (Cook) Ruddell. Isaac's oldest brother was about 14 when he was born, another brother Cornelius was about 13, Stephen was about 5 and Archibald was 2 or 3 years old. The following siblings 2 sisters and 1 more brother would bring the balance of the family. When Isaac was 19 or 20 years old, his oldest brother John Jr. died at the age of 33, while the youngest brother George was about 10 years old.
According to Kirk B. Barb's "History & Genealogy of the Ruddle Family," in the year 1750 Isaac Ruddell purchased a tract of land in Frederick County, Va. Isaac married Elizabeth Bowman, who was the granddaugher of Joist Hite a german immigrant and proprietor in Colonial Virginia. Isaac and Elizabeth lived together in Frederick County, or atleast held land there until 1769, according again to Barb's text which quotes a deposition made by Isaac Ruddell in 1799, aged 69, he said that he lived "on the River Holston near the dividing lines of Virginia and North Carolina... where he was until 1778 when he removed to Kentucky." The Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. VIII, page 18, according to Kirk B. Barb, "shows that on May 25, 1778 a certain sum of money was paid him (to Isaac) for his Company at Washington (County) Militia to be sent under Col. George Rogers Clark to fight the British and Indians in Kentucky, and Illinois."
By this time Isaac's family was growing larger as were his responsibilities in the Armed Forces. Keep in mind that it appears that Isaac Ruddell received his land as part of an arrangement with the military in exchange for his services. The Isaac Ruddell family in 1778 consisted of George, who was born in 1757 and would have been 21 years old, then apparently a 10 year lapse in ages between Stephen A. who was born in 1768, who was 10, Abraham who was born in 1772, was 6 years old, then Elizabeth Ruddell who was born August 26, 1776 in Virginia and she would have been two.
In June of 1780 a British Regiment, which was using Native warriors, attacked the Ruddell's Station. It is believed that Captain Isaac Ruddell, who was out numbered and out gunned, as the British brought cannons and the station had none, negotiated a peaceful settlement as long as they were taken into British custody. Then according to several accounts upon opening the gates to the fort the Native warriors rushed in. An infant of Isaac and Elizabeth's is recorded to have been killed during the invasion, where Captain Isaac Ruddell, Elizabeth their son George, and daughter in law Theodosia as well as Stephen & Abraham were taken prisoners, along with their cousins John & James, who were sons of Archibald Ruddell, Isaac's older brother, as well as Archibald's daughter Sarah and her husband to be Thomas Davis. Isaac's nephew John died in British custody enroute to Canada.
These Ruddell family members along with several other families were taken to Detroit and then into Canada. A few of the children, including Stephen and Abraham were "adopted," into Native Indian families and lead quite extraordinary lives immersed in the Native culture. Stephen and Abraham lived with the Shawnee for over a dozen years. The remainder of the prisoners in British custody were released and exchanged through the end of the Revolution, with the assistance of George Washington (*Draper Notes I0S:81-83 Letter of Gov. Benjamin Harrison to George Washington regarding the release of Kentucky prisoners, Oct. 25, 1782.) While imprisoned Isaac's father, the patriarch of the Ruddell family, John Ruddell Sr. died in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia around the age of 86.
Isaac & Elizabeth's daughter Elizabeth married John Mulherin, while Capt. & Mrs. Ruddell's son Cornelius Ruddell married Jane Mulherin. Cornelius was killed, by Natives in 1786. His widow Jane Mulherin Ruddell then remarried her husband's cousin, James Ruddell.
Isaac Ruddell died in 1812, his sons Stephen and Abraham both used their Native experience as a resource in assisting the U.S. Armed Forces in the War of 1812.
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'Shawnee Names: Big to Black' by Don Greene (regarding Isaac's son)
"Puckenshinwa aka Alights from Flying-I Alight From Flying - 1/2 Shawnee-Creek Metis born about 1725 AL-died 1774 WV - French-Indian War, Braddock, Pontiac War, Bushy Run, raiding New-Greenbrier-Jackson River valleys 1763, raiding Ohio-Little Kanawha-Big Sandy-New River valleys 1772, killed at Point Pleasant 1774, Grand Council June 1762, Sept. 1762, 1763, Council Bouquet Oct. 1764, son of Daughter of James McQueen-1/2 Creek Metis & Kishpoko Shawnee Man, husband of Metheotashe-Pekowi Shawnee, father of sons Cheeseekau/56, Sauwaseekou/59, Nahaaseema/65, Tecumseh/68, Kumshaka/70, Tenskawatawa/74 & daughters Tecumapease/58, Menewaulakoose/66, Vocemassussia/71-all 3/4th Shawnee-Creek Metis, adopted father of Joshua Renicks/46 (60), John Sparks/60 (68) & Richard Sparks/60 (68), Stephen Ruddell/67 (before 74)"
